Friday, December 31, 2010

... gravitational and magnetic forces, unconnected, having no culture, having no life, only matter; guided, misdirected by forces out of its own volition or control; and yet, for the viewer, depending upon who it is, with enormous beauty and balance. Tranquil, beautifully balanced, and radiative.

------------------------Update: Anonymous wrote:
Aahhhh such poise between the image and the text...

Perhaps that is THE CLUE to beauty, balance and harmony?

To be matter alone sans paraphernalia of consciousness.
But in the absence of conscious life who would appreciate such indestructible beauty?

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Who is speaking ? who is listening?? True marital bliss
--------------------------
Bhupen wrote:

I am on the right.
--------------------------
I replied:

You are right.

Jokes apart, no one in the whole world even remotely would think that those clay clowns (actually one, photographed twice by double exposure with altered lighting in 1965) would connect with Bhupen-Charu, although, interestingly, everyone who has reacted to that posting has compared themselves and their marriages to that ludicrous photograph.

Wednesday, December 08, 2010

MEMORY:
NOW PAINFULLY FAMILIAR
AND AGAIN NOT;
FLEETING ELUSIVE
BUT OBSESSIVE
DEFIES DEFINITION
STIFLES WORDS
RECOGNITION
BUT NOT YEARNING
THAT BECOMES A PAIN IN THE THROAT
A GROWING LUMP THAT IS
A HOLLOW MOUNTAIN OF CLOUD
BEFORE BURSTING
TO BLUR MY VISION
INTO UNCONTROLLABLE TORRENTS
MEMORY,
FOREVER PERSISTENT, FOREVER
DISSOLVING,
FOREVER
HALF-FORMED MEMORY

Sunday, December 05, 2010

Everything in the universe is breakable. This is knowable, however, only to a conscious, feeling mind. For human beings most importantly, relationships, possessions, formidable attitudes assumed as unwavering, etc. etc. All are breakable, and in their wake they bring unbearable pain, anger, hatred, grief, loss.

Friday, December 03, 2010

Fishy can mean connected with or concerning or arising from a fish, apart from the smell; it can also mean suspect, rotten, corrupt, and several other things without any relation to fish. So, take this picture for instance. I could call it fishy and probably get away with it; but then actually it is the remnant of a scoop of strawberry ice cream. Now, if that is not fishy, what is?
---------------Update: Anonymous wrote:

Ah but if a cat were to find it and lick it up it would indeed, in the cat's consciousness, be equivalent to fishy.

Please dont spoil the game by reminding me that a cat has no consciousness. It has i assure you, only in catsworld it resides in the nose and tongue :)
--------------Charu said:

Bhai,
Aren't you being circuitous...ha..ha.ha!
You could have called it zebra and I would have believed you....!!!
love charu
---------------- Anonymous said:

Peered from various angles and could`nt see the fishiness ( apologise if such a word does not exist) agree with charu on the zebraish train of thought...
------------------I replied:

That's why it is fishy: because of the uncertainty, and because of the doubt it provokes: is it an aquatic creature, skeletal leftover, part of a larger pattern and design? Is it edible? Is it venomous? The strawberry ice cream, the leftover of which it was, was certainly not fishy.

Sunday, November 28, 2010

What is reality? What is truth? What is distortion? What is illusion? What is a lie, to deceive? What is a lie that comes from the unknown, or fear, or misguidance? Metaphysics is the equipment human beings have to respond to these and other such related questions. But then, human beings being fallible, apart from being variable, would deal with metaphysics also differently. So then, we become rudderless, at which time superstition and religion creep in and pervade. The irony is that religion is the ultimate self-deception, but then, most of mankind relegate their incomprehension to it, and to some design somewhere by some derelict designer, and wade through their lives in delusions, and belief in contentment emanating from them. Sigh.
--------------------------Update: Anonymous wrote:
The image is a volume in itself. i could fill each grid with fresh meaning.

And
What a timely text.
But there is an absoluteness to it which would make it appropriate at any time, all times.

Mankind, relegating incomprehension to religion does acknowledge that it is deifying a derelict designer?
And in a stupendous feat of stupidity then designs its own dereliction to match the 'divine' randomness?

What a bizarre situation.
First we propound the brazen lie that God created man in his own image although no one has seen that God image.
Then we go creating ourselves in what we claim is the divine image: arbitrary, whimsical, erratic, heedless, ruthless, all knowing, tyrannical, receptive to flattery, bribery, completely irrational and even more completely unaccountable.

Thank you
-------------------------Update: Charu wrote:

Bhai,
How can these statements ever be questioned?

All encompassing; there is not even a sliver of opening where a disputing argument can sneak in...
Love
Charu

Monday, November 22, 2010

All my life I have groped in dark recesses of my mind for illumination and understanding of the meaning of existence, unfortunately without finding either. That would demonstrate either my incompetence, incompatibility, or the worthlessness of life itself in absolute terms.

The irony has been that life’s only articulate and expressive representatives that one can engage in this quest are human beings, grossly confused if not biased altogether by the subjectivity of their personal experiences and reactions, unquestioningly inherited by tradition.

It is a no-win situation: If I succeed I have no adversarial reference point to prove life’s worthlessness and absence of its connectivity, because human beings live by virtue of unquestioned belief in life’s imperative import. That being the case, win or lose, this battle for knowledge of life or its extent is lost. Therefore, it follows without question, that I am a loser. So, interestingly, or shall I say intriguingly, metaphysically, life is also a loser, for having offered no contest.
---------------------Update: Anonymous wrote:

You are incredible, SIR.

How can you for a moment consider yourself irrelevant to the business of life? Is there another such that can unravel complex thought the way you do and express it with such lucidity?

What use is it you will ask.
It points the way for a meaningful existence, despite the cross of consciousness that one must bear.

A long standing ovation to the text
and a wondrous speech struck admiration for the image.
----------------------Update: Charu wrote:

Bhai,

Who could say it better than you...

Will anyone pause and ponder even?

Most of us are mechanical robots wound up with keys of religion and tradition and everything else that goes with them.

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Before it got detached it was part of a flying apparatus. Now disconnected, it can only fly, directionless, if a breeze blows it; or some playful child ties it to a string and pulls it through the air; or it becomes part of some tossed toy, like a shuttlecock.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

'Imitinef Mercilet' is a medicine which cures blood cancer.
Its available free of cost at Adyar Cancer Institute in Chennai.
Create Awareness. It might help someone.
Forward to as many as u can, kindness cost nothing.

The above came to me as a forwarded email message. It could be purely the result of a misguided attempt at profiteering, mischief-making, or plain stupidity, none of which is within my reach to deal with. I cannot trace the originator, and therefore, following are my shocked ruminations:

All facilities, all over the world, including in India, which treat, or claim to treat, cancer in its various forms and manifestations, exist with legal and illegal licenses to do so. Touching the subject of how to regulate medical care anywhere is beyond the realm of my ability, and vests entirely in the hands of various law and regulatory agencies.

The important point that I can make here is, how can someone be allowed to circulate such a message, because not all who will receive it will understand its dangerous consequences and the misconceptions arising out of it.

Leukemia and other forms of blood cancer, and other cancers in general, are variously treated with different results, depending on a multitude of factors. The medicines and the enormously sophisticated equipment required to impart such treatment are a great responsibility in the hands of doctors who admit and handle such cases.

Leukemia cells from research papers

There are many forms in which leukemia manifests itself, and countless differing approaches exercised by the physicians and the institutions who handle the patients afflicted with this dread disease. 'Imitinef Mercilet' ("Imitinef Mercilet" is apparently an alternative spelling of the cancer drug, Imatinib mesylate) is not like aspirin. It is a complex medication, where whether it is free or not is definitely not the main issue. Implying that the Cancer Institute at Adyar in Chennai doles it out for free is the most cavalier way of planting an outrageously preposterous and dangerous notion in the minds of people with little or remote chance of being afflicted with cancer of any type, or who are just plain ignorant.

Apart from the fact that the Chennai institute is not the only place in the world where this drug is administered, it would be given on a case to case basis, and not as a general panacea. If someone took the circular seriously, with a member of the family suffering from cancer in some form, does the writer/sender of this circular expect that the Cancer Institute, upon one’s approaching it, will quickly deliver free medicine? and for how many days, without first admitting the patient, checking him/her out, charging for the tests, hospitalization, radiation, chemotherapy, and whatever other treatments are needed to save the patient; if indeed the patient does prove to have cancer.

I do not want to lengthen this argument. I feel that such use of electronic media, if it cannot be banned, should at least not be encouraged, and should be crushed as quickly as possible. I believe that I will have unanimity of support of my deep concern, which people will in turn share. If, on the other hand, even one percent of people actually believe that this is a useful circular, and that the message should be spread; if they believe that the drug would be handed over to them on asking, and that everything would be free and hunky-dory, I would like them to come forward and put forth their argument to me. If convinced, I will withdraw my complaint.

Friday, October 08, 2010

As I took this picture near my factory in Velachery in 1973, I saw the cyclist receding in my rear-view mirror as my past receding; or at least felt that it would be so nice if the past moved away like the cyclist did, became smaller and smaller, until it disappeared. Unfortunately, I ended up with a picture which, subconsciously, represented my misfortune: obscure future, and sharp past.

If only it were possible to consider looking out of the windshield of your car as looking to the future, and looking at the tiny rear-view mirror fixed at the centre of this larger glass as looking at the past, how much easier would it become to pass through life. Looking at the larger picture, which is the future, and considering the past as smaller and dwindling, even disappearing. Perhaps it is possible for most people, who are capable of going through life and gifted with unquestioning mentality. But others, who reside in the company and curse of greater consciousness, for them why does it work only in reverse: the small and vanishing past, in any case inalterable, becomes obsessive, while the larger picture of the future remains obscure. So much so, that the power of the past to haunt can destroy prospects of an even better, or quieter, more tranquil, future.

Saturday, October 02, 2010

An unusual depiction of Ganesh; my photograph, expressionistically taken in a hotel suite in Calcutta in 2010

Ganesh is very lovingly revered by all Hindus, Jains and Buddhists.

He is the son of Shiva and Parvati. He has a human body with an elephant's head. He is the Remover of Obstacles, and is worshipped at the beginning of every new venture, to ensure its success.

Here is one invocation of Ganesh, written by Girish Karnad at the beginning of his play Hayavadana:

May Vighneshwara, the destroyer of obstacles, who removes all hurdles and crowns all endeavours with success, bless our performance now. How indeed can one hope to describe his glory in our poor, disabled words? An elephant's head on a human body, a broken tusk and a cracked belly -- whichever way you look at him he seems the embodiment of imperfection, of incompleteness. How indeed can one fathom the mystery that this very Vakratunda-Mahakaya, with his crooked face and distorted body, is the Lord and Master of Success and Perfection? Could it be that this Image of Purity and Holiness, this mangala-moorty, intends to signify by his very appearance that the completeness of God is something no poor mortal can comprehend?

Like most of the gods, Ganesh has many names, which refer to their various attributes. One, which is used most endearingly, is Lambodara, One Who Has a Potbelly. (Lamba + Udara)

Ganesh with his two consorts, painted by Raja Ravi Varma, from my collection at home

One of his names is Ganapati, the Captain of the Ganas, an army of weirdos that follow Lord Shiva.

Ganesh's birth festival, Ganapati Chaturthi, is celebrated with a frenzy almost unparalleled in the Hindu pantheon of gods. Media, especially cinema and TV, do not tire, year after year, of depicting the frenzy with song and, dance, often performed under the influence of intoxicants. Each successive year surpasses the previous year in its depiction.

This year, for me at least, who has never stepped out, not only to participate, but even to get a glimpse of these events, brought a slew of shocking and revolting pictures of the aftermath of these celebrations. Some soul decided to circulate these in an email, so I have no means of acknowledging, giving credit, or attributing motives, except to say that it can benumb you, whether or not you are a believer. The email exhorted the reader to circulate them. Here are three of them. If you are aroused to revulsion, introspection, and a sense of feeling stigmatised, maybe the purpose would be served.

The above is an advertising folder on the desk of my suite in a luxury hotel. The second page contains details of the merchandise being offered by the hotel's own outlet, within its precincts.

I was very disturbed that the first page had only the message shown in the picture above. If the viewer was not curious enough to take a look at the second page, there was no way for him or her to know what the invitation to Loot, Pillage and Plunder referred to.

Thirty or fifty years ago, these three words would not have had the same connotation. One would have attributed them to a clever creative artist of an advertising agency. In today's environment, however, are these words not in very bad taste, if not altogether despicable? I wonder, and ask of every guest visiting me. Am I troubled because I am dated and have become out of synch with the prevailing times?

Life outside, and inside, on your newspapers and other reading materials, and ultimately on TV channels, is already so violent and frightening, with the mayhem prevailing everywhere, that exhortation to engage, even in what is to be assumed to be a humorous tone, in violent activity, merely for the sake of a sales pitch, for selling goods, should be condemned, if not proscribed altogether. And that too, by an international brand name.

That is my question, and in that question is the hope that even as I point this out to the management of my hotel, others, both consumers as well as the vendors and, especially, their advertising agencies, would take note, and be responsible about the use of language and illustration that, given the enormous power of media on social behavioural psychology, can have such a forceful and irrevocable impact.
------------Update -- Immediately after I posted to my blog, I received this from the head of marketing of the luxury hotel in question, who profusely apologised and, having circulated worldwide new norms for advertising, sent me the proof of the replaced card, with an altered, decent message:

Friday, September 10, 2010

Saturn (Shani in Sanskrit, and Indian astronomy) is 1.2 billion km away from Earth, and has 95 times Earth's mass. While Earth rotates around its own axis in 24 hours, Saturn rotates in 10.67 hours. We call Earth's journey around the sun one year; Saturn's takes 29.5 Earth years. Its gravity is almost the same as Earth's. It has 60 known moons revolving around it, and many clouds of elemental debris.

The following picture was taken by Voyager I, NASA.

The rings which you see in the pictures, when seen from space by powerful telescopes, in close-ups look exactly the same as my picture, which is also published here below; only my picture was taken on my desk. It is strange that otherwise it is indistinguishable from the original close-up of Saturn's rings.

Images match words and all of them blur into a sensual experience whose boundaries are impossible to fix - This is really about life and death, in a universal sense, not about any particular life and death or is it ?

Just for a moment, before I let go of myself, I puzzled over how the imprint of French existentialists of the 1960s could have blended beyond recognition with the early 20th century American transcendentalists into a fiercely Indian sensibility. But then I let go. I am content with the realization that the song belongs to genre of experience that I can shamelessly gulp down - moist, breezy, excited, throbbing like a frog in a rainforest.

I recognize this particular impulse to draw on something from the past as different from other impulses. It is an odd one - it is one of those impulses that helps me feel at once contemporaneous and timeless and forget that grating voice that accuses me of being an imposter in a masquerade.

Thank you for sharing it.--------------------------
My reply:

Dear Anant:

Your gushing was emotionally as overpowering as the tears of joy and hurt that gushed through the lines I wove. I am very touched, first by your reading my lament–laughter, and then by your mulling it over with such profusion of emotion that now I cannot decide whether my poem is actually not surpassed by your reaction.

Throbbing like a frog which cannot leap, but cannot but dwell only in a rainforest,

Saturday, September 04, 2010

Born Maharashtrian in 1949 as Shivaji Rao, currently the ultimate in every department of cinema of South India, which is the ultimate of cinema in India, which is the ultimate of cinema worldwide in quantity; the quality of all of which is not the point here

I saw clips of Rajinikanth's ten greatest films on TV. I doubt any actor anywhere has demanded and received from the audience such complete suspension of disbelief. Rajnikanth deserves kudos. He has dissolved my resistance, and I most willingly hand them to him.

I had several interactions with his brother-in-law, actor Y.G. Mahendra, his mother-in law, Mrs. Y.G. Parthasarthy during discussions or judging of musical theatre or cinema seminars, and his wife, Latha, when she had recently married Rajinikanth, and then when she had her first child, which facts have no consequence now, and are being mentioned only in passing. The main thing is that Rajinikant, in his movies, makes me laugh as he did before; earlier in derision, now in admiration.

I can watch him keenly and be amused now, instead of walking away unbelieving that others could not only watch him again and again, but applauded unstoppably.

Some of Rajini's signature dialogues:

On the lighter side, there are jokes a-plenty among NRIs, especially in the States and UK, on Rajinikanth's film feats. Here is one:

The great scientist Isaac Newton saw Rajinikanth's film. He returned home dejected, wondering if all his laws of physics were wrong. He went back to his laboratory blackboard to re-check his research. He found no error there. So he went to another Rajinikanth movie, and the same thing happened. Finally he was convinced that he was wrong - that the laws which he had founded were in error, since Rajinikanth, in scene after scene, film after film, defied them so convincingly. In despair, he committed suicide. This was followed by mass suicide of thinkers in science and philosophy, for the same reason.

I am sure that there are many such jokes, but they all show admiration for the power of Rajini's performances: it isn't his feats which are in doubt, but Reason itself which is erroneous and challengeable, even if only by one person.

I crossed paths with him in airports in the seventies, when invariably there would be fracas, police, even possible arrest because of his disorderly and callous behaviour. He is much mellowed, and a calm, modest man. He has not allowed his physique to get bloated. Now we exchange glances, and greetings at the most, in late hours at some restaurants. Anyway, I have become fond of him in his autumnal years.